Chapter 42
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Death to the Fake Archbishop - 2
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The sun, which had risen high in the sky, was slowly sinking. As it dipped toward the horizon, touching the mountaintops, it bled deep crimson, dyeing the entire heavens red.
"Death to the Archbishop!"
"Come out, Archbishop!"
A fair amount of time had passed, but the citizens' fervor showed no signs of cooling. If anything, it burned hotter as the hours dragged on. The virgins who had been forced to offer their bodies to the church, the parents who had lost their daughters under the guise of priestess training, and even the priests who had long harbored resentment against the church's depravity—all joined the protesters. The crowd surrounding the cathedral swelled relentlessly.
One by one, more people streamed in, and with each arrival, the fury in the mob grew. Now, they were dragging forward victims of Archbishop Bobby, compelling them to denounce his crimes. The trial was already underway, and Bobby's punishment seemed all but decided.
"Bobby's late."
"Yeah. The other priests look like they're starting to slip away from the inside. Wonder how many are even left in there."
"I'd bet quite a few."
"Maybe thirty or so? Who knows."
"A few dozen at most, probably."
"Could be even fewer. Look at all those priests gathered over there—just counting them, there have to be at least a hundred. Including the ones who've already lost their heads, of course."
I lifted my head at Vanessa's words and spotted the priests who had defected to join the protesters. A trial was unfolding there too. The innocent ones were being released based on citizens' testimonies, but they were few and far between. Far more were facing punishment for their past sins in various gruesome ways.
"The sun's setting. You think they're planning to wait until night?"
"No. Something will happen before then. Once night falls, people will light torches, and fire always stirs folks into a frenzy for no reason. And my guess? Bobby came up from below four hours ago."
"How do you know?"
"No priests have come out since four hours ago."
"Maybe everyone who was gonna come out already has."
"Could be, but the number of defectors didn't just taper off gradually—it stopped completely at that point. A change that sharp? Only one explanation."
He's inside. Bobby's in there. It was just a hunch, but it felt unshakably certain.
Vanessa stared at the door with bloodshot eyes, then whispered to me again.
"So why haven't we gone in yet?"
"Too conspicuous."
"Hey, you there. Focus. Does this look like a game to you?"
The guard captain scowled as he strode past us. I met his gaze and gave a curt reply.
"Will do, sir."
He passed by with a sour look. He was trying to play it cool, but every step screamed tension. I watched him go, then adjusted my slipping helmet.
After Rachel's speech ended and she left the plaza alone, I'd taken out a few guards rushing this way, stripped their armor, and waited for Vanessa. Once she slipped through the crowd undetected, we donned the guards' outfits and headed to the plaza ahead of the protesters. When I'd asked how she'd hide her leg, she'd answered by hacking off a guard's leg, jamming the broken blade into it, and strapping it to her own severed stump—a mad genius move.
Thanks to her ingenuity, we blended seamlessly into the guards facing off against the protesters. While we waited, the innocent citizens and priests inside had all evacuated. Now, only those who deserved death remained. At least, by my standards.
I locked eyes with the enraged citizens. Their gazes sizzled with years of oppression and bottled-up rage, just like mine. They hungered for a single body, the same as I did—their eyes mirrored those I'd seen in Erendel.
Back then, I'd forgotten there were others just as furious at those bastards as I was. A strange thrill hummed through my fingertips, vibrating across my skin, making my heart pound. I hadn't felt this back then. Puzzled by my own emotions, I heard Vanessa's voice.
"The detective girl's doing great. If she'd slipped up even a little, the citizens would've stormed inside by now. Not bad for a fake saint."
"Almost makes you think she's the real deal."
"Fake's still fake, though. Speaking of which, this place is crawling with fakes. Fake saint, fake archbishop, fake priests. Well, one of 'em's real, anyway."
No need to ask what she meant—she turned to look right at me. I ignored her gaze and murmured quietly.
"Nah."
"I think I'm right, though. Real Hero."
"Not the time for that, Vanessa."
I shut it down flat, but she smiled faintly.
"You can deny it all you want, but someday you'll have to face it. Whether you meant to or not, you're saving the Empire from crisis right now."
"No."
"You saved the city from a corrupt baron, and now you're ousting a false archbishop to restore the faithful's belief. Maybe even redeeming this rotten priest's soul. No matter the methods or motives, it sounds like hero stuff to anyone."
I clamped my mouth shut and leaned my head against the wall. A dull thud, and emotions flooded my mind. I closed my eyes, focusing on the sounds from beyond the wall.
"Enough."
"Got it. We'll talk later."
"Not that."
I opened my eyes and flicked my gaze toward the door.
"Someone's coming out."
Thud.
My words hit, and the sealed door creaked open. Even the citizens, roaring in fury, fell silent and peered inside. I threw my gaze into the darkness, drawn inexorably.
Thud. Thud.
Heavy footsteps echoed. Dull, weighty, familiar.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The rhythmic pounding approached agonizingly slowly, just like that day. The shaking in my ears chilled my blood. He wasn't even here yet, but I could already see him: dripping flesh, repulsive smile, thick fingers, scarlet eyes.
I stared at his face in my mind. Similar to the thoughts I'd had going to find Rick and Nadia that day, but slightly different.
Please. Let him have changed somehow.
"Archbishop!!!"
Someone in the crowd bellowed. And in sync, the man who had once ruled the goddess's sanctuary emerged.
It was Bobby.
No other description needed. He was simply Bobby. Just as in my memory, he lumbered forward on his massive frame, wearing that loathsome smile. Bobby.
Bobby. Good ol' Bobby. Our party's sole healer, always radiating warmth.
For a split second, our eyes met. His eyes were buried in fat, barely visible, but I could see the ones etched so clearly in my memory. He was smiling, but there was tension in them—pitch black, just as I remembered.
Not red. Black.
...
Rachel had said it: force a smile too long, and you might forget how.
Guess she was right.
Because I wasn't happy at all, but the corners of my mouth kept twitching upward.
"Bobby!!!"
"Face judgment quietly, Archbishop!!!"
The crowd went berserk at the sight of his face. They hurled stones, spat, and screamed, staring at the Bobby in their memories. But Vanessa and I were eerily calm. Fixing my eyes on Bobby, I spoke.
"What do you think?"
"It's Bobby."
"You really think so?"
"Of course... no."
"How long do you figure it took?"
"Four hours at most? Pretty seamless. Probably took a whole crew."
She answered briefly, then turned to me.
"You expected this?"
"That's how Bobby operates."
Bobby's weapon was always lies and deception. The friendly uncle, the hero who saved the world, the ascended saint. In crisis or opportunity, he'd always leaned on falsehoods to achieve his goals and survive.
And in this dire moment, he'd chosen lies again.
Vanessa smirked and nodded, then asked once more.
"How far did you plan this?"
"Just hoped it'd play out."
I replied, watching the mob surge. Eyes once locked on the cathedral door now fixated on the fake Bobby. In this instant, not even the Ennesic Goddess herself could steal their attention.
In a way, it was like with Rick and Nadia. I wanted isolation—just me and them. But back then, as a first-timer, I'd overlooked that others shared my grudge and would follow. The crowd became a nuisance. Charging in killing everything would've drawn too many guards, and civilians risked getting caught again. Infiltration was nearly impossible due to surprises.
So this time, two paths. One for the crowd: to the fake Bobby. The other for me: to the real one. They'd torture the fake outside, blocking entry or exit. Not forever, but long enough for me to find another spot.
And above all, I wanted to confirm one thing.
Like Sera and Vanessa, would ripping Bobby apart still not kill him?
Did the forsaken wretch still carry the Ennesic Goddess's blessing?
If it failed, the real Bobby's corpse would've emerged instead—enough to calm the mob. But he still had her favor.
This once, the gods were on his side, not mine. And that was a relief.
"Die, Archbishop!!!"
Someone in the crowd whipped out a hidden knife and lunged at the fake Bobby. The surrounding guards swiftly moved to intercept. But it ignited the mob further.
"Damn it all, what are you idiots doing? Block them!"
The guard captain rallied every nearby guard and threw them toward Bobby. Vanessa and I exchanged nods and slipped backward.
With all eyes on the fake, we approached the main door. Suddenly, Vanessa laughed out loud beside me.
"Thanks, Luca."
"For what?"
"Just... for bringing me along."
"Needed you."
I gave a short reply. Vanessa had plenty of scores to settle with Bobby too. To me, she was the perfect tool.
"Ready?"
"Doesn't matter if I'm not."
I flung the door open without hesitation. Surrounded by so many, no one stopped us. Amid the fence of rage and deceit, I drew my chill blade.